The Houston Texans have lost three of their last four games and could really use a break. They may get that chance before their actual bye week.
Houston (7-5) will play at Jacksonville (2-9) on Sunday, which will be their 13th straight game.
Given how well the Texans have performed against the Jaguars in recent years, this game could be just what coach DeMeco Ryans’ team needs to get back on track as December begins.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. “We haven’t had any time to kind of like breathe. But that’s the NFL; that’s our job. We’ve really got to come back with another week of just hard work, a lot of just grinding because we’re right around the corner from our bye and I think that’ll be a good thing for all of this team.”
The Texans have won 11 of the last 13 games against the Jaguars and 17 of the last 21 matchups, including five straight in Jacksonville, since being swept in 2013. This is a very impressive stretch of dominance between these two long-time rivals.
No one would be surprised if the Texans extend their winning streak on Sunday. The Jaguars have lost four straight games, with their last three losses being the worst stretch in the team’s history.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence (sprained non-throwing shoulder) is expected to return after missing the last two games. Coach Doug Pederson mentioned that other changes might be coming after the team’s bye week, but he didn’t specify whether these changes would involve players or assistant coaches.
“We’re going to implement some things and really kind of get back to some things that I think were successful, have been successful for us,” Pederson said. “Whether it’s rhythm, tempo, whatever, to try to get things going.”
Jacksonville likely needs to win all their remaining games to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They have four division games left, plus matchups with the New York Jets (3-8) and Las Vegas (2-9).
“I feel the best I’ve felt in the past few weeks, so I’m excited about it,” Lawrence said.
